![]() ![]() And here is what he found: Christ worked through Him most powerfully when this thorn in his flesh was at its worst. Paul tells us about a painful affliction that he endured for a long time. When you take on responsibility, there will be times when you wonder “How can I keep going?” Here’s your answer: The energy of the Holy Spirit will work powerfully in you. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Col. “Him we proclaim…that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ![]() The apostle Paul was sustained in ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? What did this look like in practice? Here are three examples from the life of the apostle Paul: That was clearly beyond them, but Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). Jesus commissioned eleven men to make disciples of all nations. This theme of receiving power runs right through the Bible. God is able to give you the strength you need to meet the challenge that you face. And this is how she was able to do what that she could not otherwise have done. Sarah received something that she did not have before. Sarah herself believed and by faith, she received power from God.īy faith Sarah herself received power. The miracle of Isaac’s conception took place because power came to Sarah, and that is why the spotlight is on Sarah’s faith in this verse. So, though Abraham was old, he was not beyond becoming a father. He had six other children with his second wife, Keturah. Later in Genesis we are told that after Sarah died, Abraham married again. It was “Sarah herself” who received this power. The Bible places special emphasis on the fact that this miracle took place in Sarah. God gave Sarah power to conceive a child in her old age. “By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past age…” (vs. That’s the story, and Hebrews gives us this God-breathed commentary: “By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past age, since she had considered him faithful who had promised” (Heb 11:11). Tears of joy streamed down her face as Isaac was born and God’s promise was fulfilled. One year later, Sarah was laughing again, but in a very different way. We then read that, “The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh…? Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen 18:13-14). “Sarah laughed to herself saying, ‘After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?’” (vs. Sarah heard what the Lord had said, and Scripture records. The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son” (Gen 18:10). Sarah prepared a meal for these unexpected visitors and while she was working in the tent, we read, One of them was the LORD appearing in a visible form. Abraham saw three men “ standing in front of him” (vs. “And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day” (Gen 18:1). Twenty-four years later, when Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him again. God had given a promise, but its fulfillment was nowhere in view. Years passed, and every month was marked by disappointment. ![]() Second, because Abraham was 75 years old at the time (Gen 12:4) and Sarah was just a few years behind him. This was an extraordinary promise for two reasons: First, because Abraham and Sarah had no children. Then God brought Abraham outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Gen 15:5). ![]() Then God said to Abraham, “…your very own son shall be your heir” (Gen 15:4). “…I will bless you…and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:2-3). The story begins with God giving a remarkable promise to Abraham. Then at the end we will ask this question: What do you need to receive from the hand of God today? We’re going to see how she received from God and then see how we can receive from the hand of God today. Today, we’re going to look at Sarah’s remarkable story. Faith brings into your possession what you did not have before. Notice the word “received.” By faith Sarah herself received. “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised” (Heb 11:11). Today we come to something very wonderful: Faith receives from God. Please open your Bible at Hebrews 11, as we continue our series, Living By Faith.įaith is like a living tree bursting with fruit, and in this chapter we see the fruit that faith brings in the life of a believer. ![]()
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